How Popcorn Became Movie Theater Royalty

think about the last time you walked into a movie theater that warm buttery smell that hits you isn't just there to make your mouth water it's a big part of why we love going to the movies but how did popcorn become the star of the show The Story of popcorn starts about 8,000 years ago when people first grew ma from a wild grass called teosinte which doesn't look much like the corn we see today the type of Maze We Now know as popcorn was one of the first kinds grown in Central America because its kernels pop really well these kernels are full of starch and have hard shells that burst open when they're heated popcorn spread all over from where it started it did really well in South America and eventually it made its way to North America Andrew Smith who wrote a book called popped culture a social history of popcorn believes that North American Whalers probably went to Chile saw popcorn thought it was pretty cool and brought it back to New England in the early 19th century once popcorn hit the Eastern shores of North America it became an instant favorite the spectacle of corn popping was so entertaining that by 1848 the word popcorn made its way into the dictionary of americanisms before long popcorn was a staple at any fun outing popping up at circuses and fairs everywhere the only place you wouldn't find it the movie theater the spread of popcorn really took off in 1885 thanks to a Brilliant Invention by Charles creers the First theme powered popcorn maker this portable device ice could make popcorn right in the middle of a crowd at outdoor events like sports games and fairs giving it a huge Edge over other snacks like potato chips which required a kitchen and were made in small batches another big plus for popcorn was its irresistible Aroma when it was being popped which vendors used to attract crowds to their stands despite its popularity at various events movie theaters were still reluctant to allow this delicious aromatic snack inside their doors the theaters really steered clear of popcorn at first because they were trying to create an atmosphere similar to that of traditional theaters with elegant carpets and rugs that they feared would get messed up by popcorn crumbs these early Cinemas aimed for a classy Vibe targeting wealthy patrons who might not enjoy the mess and noise associated with eating snacks during a movie but everything began to shift in 1927 with the introduction of sound and movies suddenly you didn't have to be able to read the silent film titles to understand what was going on which opened up the cinema experience to a much broader audience by 1930 theaters were attracting an astonishing 90 million people each week with such a large number of visitors the potential to make money from selling snacks became too big to ignore even though the soundtrack of the movies now masked the sound of snacking despite the obvious Financial benefits many theater owners remained hesitant about introducing snacks they stuck to the idea aide that movie theaters should remain as pristine and quiet as the upscale theaters they aspire to replicate the Great Depression turned out to be a surprising win for both movies and popcorn as people searched for affordable ways to have fun they crowded into movie theaters and with popcorn costing only 5 to 10 cents a bag it was a treat most could enjoy popcorn kernels were cheap to buy in bulk too a $10 bag could last vendors years at first movie theater owners didn't really get why popcorn could be a big hit but the street vendors outside saw a golden opportunity they got their own popcorn machines and set up right outside the theaters catching movie goers as they came in back then theaters even had signs at their coat checks for people to leave their popcorn with their coats yep popcorn was the original snack people tried to sneak into the movies the theaters had some practical reasons for not wanting popcorn around the early popcorn machines were large and messy and the theaters didn't have good enough ventilation to handle all the smoke and smell that came with popping popcorn but as more and more people brought their own popcorn the theater owners began to see how much money they could make from it they started to allow vendors to sell popcorn either right in the lobby or just outside which was great for everyone vendors got to sell to both people heading into the movies and those just passing by broadening their customer base by a lot as time went on movie theater owners figured out they could make a lot more money if they sold snacks themselves instead of letting outside vendors do it this change became really important in the mid 1930s when the Depression was making things tough for theaters those that started selling popcorn and other snacks were able to keep their doors open for instance a theater chain in Dallas decided to install popcorn machines in 80 of their theaters but they didn't put them in their five fanciest ones within just 2 years the theaters with popcorn were making a lot more money while the five that didn't sell popcorn started losing money seeing how well popcorn was doing even the high-end theaters began to welcome concession stands to boost their profits World War II played a big part in making popcorn even more popular at the movies because of the war there were sugar shortages and rationing places that sent a lot of sugar to the US like the Philippines were cut off this made it tough for theaters to keep up their supply of sugary snacks like candy and soda popcorn which only needs some salt and a little oil became a much better option for theaters to offer it was easier to make and didn't depend on ingredients that were hard to get so it became the go-to snack during the war but in 1949 a senator from Oregon didn't like this messy snack ruining the classy Vibe of movie theaters so he pushed a bill to ban popcorn from all theaters across the country he got a bunch of other Senators on board claiming they were trying to keep theaters nice for everyone the bill was so strict that it even wanted to kick people out of theaters for munching popcorn and fine or jail the theater owners who let it slide but people didn't just sit back the response was quick and full of spirit some folks even snuck bags of popcorn onto the desks of senators who supported the band and guess what the very next day photos popped up in the newspapers showing those Senators eating the popcorn theater owners fought back hard too arguing that eating popcorn was a part of enjoying life their hard work and arguments paid off big time the idea to ban popcorn sounded so silly that the bill was quickly dropped and that's why we can still dig into a big buttery bucket of popcorn at our movie nights out just like we've always loved to do by 1945 grabbing a bucket of popcorn at the movies had become a classic part of the American Movie experience with more than half of all the popcorn eaten in the US being munched in movie theaters theaters really leaned into this trend ramping up their ads for snacks they'd play these ads before and sometimes even during movies to tempt folks into the lobby for some treats one of the most famous of these ads was the let's all go to the lobby animation let's all go to the lob to get ourselves a treat which started in 1957 and quickly became a beloved part of going to the movies in 2000 this catchy little ad got a big nod for its impact it was honored by the Library of Congress and added to the United States national film registry because of its cultural and historical importance despite all of this clever marketing the 1960s brought a new challenge as more people got TVs at home fewer were going out to the movies this shift meant that even with all the promotions popcorn sales at movie theaters started to drop making popcorn at home wasn't very common back then mainly because it was quite a hassle you needed a popcorn maker plus oil butter salt and other ingredients to get that movie theater taste then came easy poop the first of kind an all-in-one popcorn product that made it easy all you had to do was heat the container and you'd get fully flavored popcorn Jiffy Pop followed with a similar concept further simplifying popcorn preparation at home the 1970s marked a big boost in popcorn's popularity thanks to the rise of microwave ovens suddenly making popcorn at home was super easy just a few minutes in the microwav and you had a warm tasty bag of popcorn ready to munch even with this shift to home enjoyment popcorn didn't lose its link to movie watching and entertainment this connection was so well known that Nord mende a German electronics company featured popcorn and its ads for microwaves marketing them as the perfect partner for a movie night at home today the connection between popcorn and movie Nights at home is larger than ever you'll see ads that tie in with blockbuster movies and microwave popcorn brands are promising flavors that mimic what you'd get at a movie theater it's a clever way to keep us reaching for for that popcorn bag whether we're out at the cinema or lounging on our couch but this whole popcorn movie connection has really changed the popcorn game itself way back before the Great Depression the common popcorn was white because it was cheaper and pretty standard however the folks selling popcorn at the movies preferred yellow corn it popped bigger and looked like it already had butter on it because of its natural yellow color this made a big impression soon people started wanting the yellow kind they ate at the movies when they bought popcorn for home nowadays yellow popcorn is the main type you see for sale making up almost the entire Market except for a tiny bit of specialty colors like blue and black the role of popcorn in cinemas today is huge too we all talk about how expensive movie snacks are but there's a reason for that popcorn costs very little to make but it's sold for quite a bit more at the theater making it the biggest source of profit there popcorn sales alone make up about 46% of a movie theater's total profits with an 85% profit margin on concession sales so while we might not love the prices popcorn sales are what help keep movie theaters in business that's pretty much all we have for you today at grubor don't forget to like share and subscribe to our channel for more fascinating videos

Channel: Grub Lore

Views: 369

Keywords: popcorn, movie theater, movie theater popcorn, pop corn, grublore, grub, lore, history, food history, babbletop, weird history food, grub lore

Id: Q2RQec7G1qU

Length: 10min 18sec (618 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 17 2024